Tracie Hicks

Amber shivered as a biting wind whipped her hair across her face, penetrating her jacket like icy fingers. Each gust carried a low, guttural moan that seemed to rise from the depths of the earth, a haunting chorus of the land’s agony. The air above the excavation site was a toxic mixture of diesel fumes and raw, earthy soil. The hidden sun cast a desolate pallor over the scene, as if nature itself mourned the devastation. Churned and scarred, lifeless mud replaced lush fields and ancient forests, leaving the earth bare.

Towering excavators and mud-caked bulldozers, monstrous titans of steel, loomed over the site, silent sentinels of corporate indifference. Amber clenched her fists, knuckles pale in the dim light, as the biting air sent goosebumps up her arms. A shiver ran down her spine, a visceral response to the pervasive sense of corruption in the atmosphere. The ground beneath her feet seemed to pulse with a hidden malignancy, a festering evil lurking just below the surface.

“Blane Corp can’t silence us!” Her voice, raw with emotion, pierced the heavy stillness.

Beside Amber, Jack hoisted his protest sign higher. His jaw clenched in grim determination. “You can’t ignore the truth forever,” he said, his breath forming visible clouds in the frigid air. Amber’s unwavering passion had drawn him to this fight, her fierce love for the land resonating with his own quiet reverence for nature. Their shared conviction had forged their bond, solidifying into a love as strong as the ancient oaks Blane Corporation had so carelessly chopped down. “We’ll stop them, Amber,” he said, his voice steady despite the fear gnawing at his heart.

Ryan scanned the area. His brow furrowed behind smudged glasses, his gaze meticulous and calculating. His methodical nature always stood in stark contrast to Amber’s fiery impulsiveness. Yet here he stood, drawn into the fray by her infectious zeal, a testament to the power of her commitment. But something troubled him. “Have you heard the stories about this land, Amber?” he asked, his voice a low rumble.

Amber looked at him, her eyes filled with fierce intensity. “Stories?”

“Folklore,” Ryan said, his voice taking on a hushed tone. “The natives say this land is cursed. That something ancient lives here. That the earth itself will fight back against those who try to plunder it.” His gaze swept across the site, landing on the bulldozers and excavators, their silent forms like sentinels of destruction. “Maybe that’s why the machines keep breaking down. Maybe it’s the land trying to protect itself.”

Amber glanced at Lisa, who was already on her way to the machines. “Ryan, I think the mystery behind the machines breaking down just strutted off.”

Ryan removed his glasses, cleaned them with a tissue from his coat pocket, and then looked toward where Lisa was heading. “Oh, yeah. That too.”

Lisa, with her short-cropped hair and grease-stained coveralls, had always been the group’s mechanic and strategist. Her hands moved deftly, honed by years of tinkering with engines and machinery. She worked quickly, and her movements were precise and confident.

Amber watched as Lisa crouched beside an excavator, her fingers working to remove the spark plugs.

For weeks they had struggled, a small band of resistance against the colossal machine of Blane Corporation. They were a thorn in the side of progress, a nuisance to be crushed, their pleas for reason falling on deaf ears. The corporation, blinded by the promise of profit, saw only dollar signs in the untapped depths of the earth, oblivious to the delicate balance they were destroying. This was their last stand, a desperate attempt to stop the relentless march of destruction, a fight that would test their resolve, friendship, and very souls.

Police cars screeched to a halt, their flashing lights casting grotesque, elongated shadows that danced across the scene, a macabre ballet of power and violence. Officers poured out, faces grim, hands hovering over their weapons, their movements practiced and efficient. A dour man with a neat beard stepped forward, a megaphone raised to his lips. His face was an impassive mask, his eyes cold and empty, as if he had made this speech a thousand times before, each word devoid of meaning or consequence.

“This assembly is unlawful,” he announced, his amplified voice dripping with contempt. “By order of the Blane Mining Corporation, as sanctioned by the emergency injunction issued today, you are trespassing on private property and must leave immediately.”

An injunction? Anger and despair raged inside Amber.

Blane had conspired, greased the palms of a corrupt judge to silence her. This wasn’t about the law; it was about power, about crushing opposition to his insatiable greed.

But Amber refused to back down. She stepped forward, her chin held high, her gaze unwavering. “Not until Blane stops this operation for good.” Her voice, though small against the officer’s amplified remarks, rang with conviction in the sudden silence.

The officer’s face hardened, his expression changing from bored indifference to a flicker of anger. “This is your last warning. Disperse immediately or face arrest and prosecution.”

Silence fell, punctuated only by the distant rumble of machinery and the ragged breaths of the protesters. The activists stood their ground, their defiance a flickering candle flame against the encroaching darkness.

With grim and determined faces, the workers attempted to restart their machines, only to be met with a symphony of sputtering coughs and grinding gears.

But there was one thing the group had forgotten.

“FIRE IN THE HOLE!” a male voice shouted.

A deafening roar ripped through the air, shaking the ground with bone-chilling force. A geyser of dirt and rock erupted from the excavation site, spewing a dark plume into the sky, obliterating the last vestiges of twilight. The crowd screamed and scattered as the earth shook, a primordial beast awakening from its slumber.

Through the settling dust, a curtain of gravel and debris, Amber saw the aftermath of the detonation. Where solid earth had been moments before, a monstrous chasm yawned, its edges raw and jagged, a freshly inflicted wound to the earth’s flesh. The previous excavation, a testament to Blane’s greed, paled compared to this gaping hole.

Workers crawled back from the abyss, their faces pale with the shock and dawning horror that chilled Amber to the bone. Even the advancing police officers paused, their expressions shifting from authority to uncertainty, their practiced movements faltering as they stared into the newly formed abyss.

Ryan stared at the hole, wiping the sweat from his brow, his face ashen in the graying light. “I don’t think they wanted to go that far down.” He shook his head in disbelief, his eyes wide with fear, reflecting the chaotic symphony of thoughts swirling through his mind.

Lisa rushed back to the group. “Did you see that?”

“Yeah,” Amber said.

“Guys, guys,” Ryan said, his voice strained, “we got to get out of here before the cops remember why they’re here.”

As dusk fell, the four friends reunited at their makeshift campsite, a hidden clearing among the towering pines. The familiar scent of pine needles and damp earth did little to relieve the unease that clung to them.

“We have to go back,” Amber said, her voice shaking with a determination that belied her fear. “Letting them win is not an option.”

“Are you sure about that, Amber?” Ryan asked, pushing his glasses up his nose in a nervous gesture. The dying light glinted off his lenses, obscuring his eyes, but Amber could hear the raw, visceral fear in his words.

Returning to the dig site, they felt the forest closing in on them. The gnarled branches of ancient trees reached out like skeletal fingers, their leaves rustling with unseen movement and whispering secrets in the wind. A heavy physical presence enveloped the air, pressing against their chests and making every breath laborious. The symphony of the night—the chirping of crickets, the hooting of owls, the rustling of small creatures foraging in the undergrowth—usually a soothing symphony of nature’s resilience, now felt oppressive, a chorus of living things bearing witness to their impending doom. Beneath these familiar sounds was a new element—a low, guttural humming, a rhythmic pulsing that seemed to vibrate deep within the earth, the heartbeat of something ancient and monstrous.

They arrived at the entrance gate, their flashlights cutting through the darkness to illuminate the monstrous wound in the earth’s flesh. The air hung heavy with the metallic taste of blood and the sickening stench of rotting flesh, a grotesque perfume that made their stomachs churn.

The abandoned machines stood around the abyss; their metal hides smeared with a dark, viscous fluid that shimmered faintly in the beam of their flashlights.

“What is that smell?” Lisa whispered, her voice barely audible over the throbbing hum emanating from the pit. Her face was pale and drawn in the artificial light.

“I don’t know,” Amber said, swallowing hard against the rising bile in her throat. “But whatever it is, it’s not good.”

The sound of voices, deep and urgent, drew her attention to the opposite side of the pit. Hidden behind a tangle of twisted roots, they watched Blane standing at the pit’s edge. He was flanked by an officer with a well-groomed beard and a few grim-faced workers. Together, they stared down into the dark abyss. The harsh glare of the floodlights illuminated their faces, revealing expressions of fear.

“Turn off your flashlights,” Amber said.

“Why…” Ryan was about to ask.

“Shh, I’m trying to hear what they’re saying.” 

“I told you those bones were bad news,” one of Blane’s workers hissed, his voice a strained whisper. “Ancient burial ground… cursed… you fools should have listened to me!”

Blane turned to the officer, his face pale, his confidence shattered.

“There’s nothing we can do now.” The officer said. “We’ve contacted the state authorities. They are sending a team…”

A low, rasping sound echoed from the chasm, sending shivers down Amber’s spine and goosebumps up her arms. It belonged to no earthly creature, spoke of ancient hunger and unimaginable terror, burrowed into their souls, and took root.

The ground beneath their feet trembled, a barely perceptible vibration that escalated into a violent shudder that made them stumble. Chunks of earth and rock tumbled from the chasm’s edge and disappeared into the inky blackness below, swallowed by the hungry darkness. The air crackled with strange, electric energy. It felt like the atmosphere was alive with anticipation. The low hum grew louder, vibrating through their bones like a discordant symphony of impending doom.

Blane and the others backed away from the pit’s edge, their faces frozen in masks of horror. Their former confidence dissolved into a primal fear that stripped away all pretense of control.

 “What are those things?” one worker stammered, his voice cracking with fear. The growing sounds of chattering and rasping tones emanating from the abyss drowned out his words.

Then, with blinding speed, creatures surged from the abyss, their grotesque forms defying nature and reason. Some crawled on barbed, jointed legs, their armor slick with phosphorescent, putrid slime, throbbing sacs pulsating beneath them like grotesque tumors. Others undulated on sinuous coils, leaving glistening trails of viscous fluid, their stalked eyes pivoting independently to fix on prey with cold, alien hunger.

The overwhelming stench of decay rolled before them, a choking wave of evil that turned their stomachs. Blane and his men had no time to scream before the horde was upon them, engulfing them in a tide of chattering, rasping flesh.

A roar of screams, growls, and cracking bones filled the night as the creatures descended upon their victims, their forms a blur of chitinous limbs and pulsing flesh. The floodlights flickered and died, plunging the excavation site into utter darkness, the only illumination coming from the creatures’ pulsing, bioluminescent forms, a grotesque light show of death and dismemberment.

Amber stood frozen with fear as she witnessed a monstrous limb, equipped with sharp edges and pulsating suckers, extend from the wriggling mass. It swiftly coiled around Ryan’s leg and pulled him into the abyss while he screamed. She heard the sickening crunch of bone and the gurgling gasp of his last breath before the night swallowed him whole.

“Ryan!” she cried, her voice lost in the chaos, a desperate plea swallowed by the maelstrom of horror.

Jack, his face pale and drawn, pulled her close, his grip on her arm like a vise. “We have to go, Amber! Now!”

They turned to flee, crashing through the underbrush, the sounds of the massacre echoing behind them, a symphony of death chasing them into the night. They navigated through the darkness and stumbled into the forest. Twisted branches and grasping roots created a labyrinth, with lurking horrors hidden in shadow and every rustle of leaves foreboding their impending doom. They ran until their lungs burned and their legs screamed for respite, adrenaline the only thing keeping them going.

But the creatures were faster.

Amber, her heart pounding against her ribs, risked a glance back. Through the darkness, she saw a pulsing, glowing form closing in on them. Its multiple eyes glowing with a malevolent light pierced the darkness, and its chattering growl drew closer. Lisa, her face contorted in terror, stumbled and fell, her screams swallowed by the oppressive silence of the forest.

“Lisa!” Amber cried; her voice choked with despair.

Amber ran to Lisa to help her up. Then, a claw reached out from the forest line and snatched Lisa’s leg. Amber tried to pull Lisa to safety, but the creature’s grip was too strong. Lisa’s arm slipped from Amber’s hand with a jerk, and then Lisa was gone. Her screams were cut short.

“LISA!” Amber yelled.

Then, an object came flying towards her from the woods. Amber looked down at her feet and saw that it was Lisa’s head.

Jack, his eyes wild with panic, pulled her forward. “We can’t stop, Amber! We have to keep going!”

They ran on, their fear palpable, pulsing in the air around them, a beacon guiding their pursuers. Once a place of solace and beauty, the forest had become a hunting ground. Nightmarish horrors lurked in the shadows, their clicking jaws and rasping limbs promising a fate worse than death.

Ahead, the trees thinned, moonlight spilling in restless pools across the forest floor. Amber’s heart leaped with desperate hope. A break in the tree line, a road, a river… anything that could lead them to safety…

She burst from the tree line, Jack at her heels… and skidded to a halt, teetering at the edge of a sheer drop. A ragged gasp ripped from her throat as she windmilled her arms, fighting for balance, her pulse a frenzied drumbeat against her ribs. Below them, a turbulent river churned and foamed, its dark waters matching the moonless night. The deafening roar of its current contrasted with the approaching screeching horrors.

“We have to jump,” Jack said, his voice flat with exhaustion but his eyes burning with a grim finality. “It’s our only chance.”

Amber shook her head, dumb with fear. The drop was dizzying, the water below a roiling maelstrom that promised only death. But what choice did they have? To turn back was to die in the slavering jaws of the swarm, to face a fate too horrible to contemplate.

As she glanced at Jack, she drank in the sight of his familiar face, desperately trying to etch it into her memory. It was a desperate attempt to hold on to something real and human amidst the unfolding nightmare. Dirt streaked his forehead, mingling with the traces of dried tears on his cheeks. His chest heaved with effort, his hands shaking at his sides. But his gaze remained fixed on hers, burning with a defiant, reckless determination, a love that transcended fear, a love that refused to surrender even in the face of oblivion.

“Together?” he asked, his voice barely more than a whisper, a question and a promise woven into a single word.

Amber swallowed hard, pushing past the lump in her throat. “Together,” she agreed, reaching out to take his hand in hers, a simple gesture of connection that felt monumental in the face of impending doom.

His fingers intertwined with hers, callused, warm, and achingly real, grounding her in a world that was dissolving into chaos. For a moment, the world fell away – the terror, the grief, the gut-wrenching horror of all they had endured. All that remained were the two of them, bound by a love that transcended words, transcended fear, transcended death, transcended the yawning abyss that lay before them.

“I love you,” she breathed, the words tearing at her throat, raw and desperate. “No matter what happens, I want you to know that.”

Jack’s eyes glistened with unshed tears, his jaw working soundlessly, his emotions too deep, too profound for words. Then he pulled her close, their foreheads touching as they breathed in a last, desperate attempt to imprint their souls on each other. “I love you, too,” he whispered, his voice breaking. “In this life and whatever comes after. Forever.”

Behind them, a low, rasping growl echoed from the tree line, coming closer, a death knell to their fleeting moment of connection. The air grew colder, thick with the stench of rot and decay, the stench of the approaching swarm.

“NOW!” Jack yelled, tightening his grip on her hand, his voice a last surge of defiance.

As one, they leaped into the void, still hand in hand, as the air rushed past them, a scream of freedom and desperation. The hungry roar of the river rose to claim them, the sound drowning out the horrors behind them. They seemed to hang for a breathless moment, the night air cold and pure in their lungs, the stars spinning bright and merciless overhead, indifferent witnesses to their desperate plight.

Then they hit the water, and the world shattered into a thousand icy shards. The current seized them, tossing them like leaves in a storm, the water crushing and freezing. Amber clung to Jack’s hand with all her strength, feeling his fingers spasm against hers as they fought to stay together, to stay above the churning maelstrom. But the river was merciless to their struggles, their love a fragile thing against the raw power of nature. It tore them apart with ease, ripping Jack’s hand from hers.

Amber screamed, water flooding her mouth and nose as she flailed in the icy blackness, reaching for him with numb, leaden limbs, her scream swallowed by the roaring current. For a moment, she thought she saw his pale face break the surface, his mouth open in a silent scream, his eyes wide with terror. Then the current pulled her under again, and the darkness swallowed her whole.

Amber tumbled through an endless, frozen void, lungs screaming for air, limbs flailing against the relentless pull of the depths. Her mind reeled, breaking under the strain of all she had seen, all she had lost. Ryan, Lisa, Jack… all gone, torn away by the claws and the current, leaving her alone in the pitiless darkness.

Then, a vast and cold presence rose from the depths, its malevolence palpable even through the numbing water, a chilling awareness that penetrated her very being. Amber’s heart stopped as she felt the brush of something slimy and segmented against her leg. The touch was paralyzingly alien, sending a jolt of terror through her that transcended the numbing cold. She kicked desperately, trying to propel herself away from the unseen horror, but her movements were sluggish, her limbs leaden with exhaustion and fear.

A grotesque appendage with serrated edges wrapped around her ankle, pulling her down with irresistible force. Amber opened her mouth to scream, but only bubbles escaped, spiraling upward toward the surface.

More limbs, each more nightmarish than the last, wrapped around her body, crushing the remaining air from her lungs. Through the murky water, Amber glimpsed a pulsating mass of flesh, a chitinous abomination that defied comprehension. Clusters of unblinking eyes, milky and luminous in the darkness, fixed upon her with cold, predatory intelligence.

Then, with a swift, brutal movement, the creature drew her toward a gaping mouth lined with rows of jagged teeth. Mandibles, dripping with viscous slime, clamped around her throat, piercing her flesh with searing agony.

And then, an all-consuming darkness.